


Sacrifices We Must Make

by AniDragon



Series: Riona Shepard [5]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Control Ending, Destroy Ending, F/M, M/M, Synthesis Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-17
Updated: 2013-12-17
Packaged: 2018-01-04 22:23:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1086338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AniDragon/pseuds/AniDragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A look at the Synthesis, Destroy, and Control endings, featuring Rio, Rachel, and Warren Shepard, respectively.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Synthesis

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my beta-readers, Kaylizle, Ridyr, and Reokit!

Riona “Rio” Shepard looked at the options before her.

All three would lead to her death. That was fine. She wasn’t afraid to die. She’d died once already, after all. And if she died putting a stop to the Reaper threat, she would have no regrets.

She started walking.

Destroy. Control. Synthesis. Each option had their merits, just as each option had their faults.

She hesitated at the crossroads, looking to her right. Could she sacrifice the Geth to stop the Reapers? Commit genocide, after working so hard to solve the conflict between the Geth and the Quarians? 

No. Not when there were other options available to her.

She looked to her left, to the blue light that would allow her to control the Reapers and their forces. Well, not her, technically. It would be a new AI, formed from her thoughts and memories. Theoretically, with the same ethics and morals as she had.

Theoretically.

Could it work? Could the Reapers really be controlled? And if so, would replacing one AI with another really work, long term? Yes, this new AI would be based on her personality and thoughts, but who was to say it couldn’t change its mind later on?

She finally looked ahead of her, at the beam of light.

The synthesis option had intrigued her almost immediately. It almost seemed too good to be true, but in her gut, it just felt... right. If the Reapers became partially organic themselves, if they could be made to understand the thoughts and minds of organics... For them to have proper free will, instead of being controlled by the Catalyst, or an AI version of herself...

Some would say it was even more risky, and yet...

_All life should be able to self-determinate._ Legion’s words had never had as much impact as they did now. 

She stepped forward.

She’d been told by many people over the years that she was naive, and she was inclined to believe them. And maybe she was falling victim to that naivety once more. But she found that she couldn’t bring herself to care.

She held on to the hope inside of her, to the pure instinct that told her she was making the right decision. That this meant freedom for both organics and synthetics. 

She started walking faster, then broke into a run, ignoring the pain from her broken body.

_Please, God, let me be right,_ she prayed just before she leapt.

She’d expected it to hurt. But instead, it was pleasant. It was warm, almost like being held by a lover.

She closed her eyes, letting herself pretend that the warmth was Thane. She pictured him in her mind, and could almost feel his arms surrounding her, and his lips kissing her. 

As her body deteriorated, and her mind slipped into the blackness of death, she smiled.


	2. Destroy

Rachel Shepard looked at the options before her.

People had often called her ruthless, and they’d be right. But often, those people didn’t know what it meant to be ruthless. Most people thought that to be ruthless, you had to be unfeeling, uncaring. But Shepard knew that wasn’t true. She could feel. She could care. She could love.

But what she could also do was see the clear path from point A to point B, and commit to that path no matter what the consequences were. It was what had earned her the reputation as the Butcher of Torfan. It was also what had gotten her through N7 training, and why she’d been chosen as a Spectre.

So when she stepped forward, making her way towards the red lit panel to her right, it wasn’t because she didn’t care about sacrificing EDI, or the Geth. It wasn’t because she didn’t care about all those who would die without the technology they relied on.

_Does this unit have a soul?_

It was because it was the only clear path that led to the destruction of the Reapers.

If she died, and it was likely that she would, then it was likely that no one would ever know that she’d had other options. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. On one hand, it was comforting. She wouldn’t be blamed for those that were lost. On the other hand, it was dishonest. She’d prefer for history to know her as she was. To know that she'd made the _only_ decision that felt right to her, and that she would never regret it.

She turned to the right.

She’d lost a lot of friends to the Reapers. Kaidan, Mordin, Thane, Legion, Anderson. And it wasn’t over. This decision would kill EDI, and the rest of the Geth.

_Does this unit have a soul?_

It was still the right decision.

Because the Reapers needed to _die_. No one, not even herself, could be trusted to control them. And while synthesis seemed like a good idea in theory, she didn’t trust the Catalyst. She couldn’t trust that it would keep its word about the Reapers ceasing their attack. Destruction was the _only ___solution.

__Does this unit have a soul? ____

___Legion... The answer to your question was “Yes”.__ _

__The price was high. It was still worth it._ _

__She arrived at the station, and raised her gun, like she’d seen in her vision._ _

__She paused for a moment, closing her eyes. She told herself it wasn’t hesitation, not really. But she was about to commit genocide. Of the Reapers, yes, but also of the Geth. She took a moment to whisper a prayer to Odin and Freya, then opened her eyes and pulled the trigger._ _

__The glass panel cracked, so she kept shooting, using up practically the whole thermal clip before the glass shattered, and then everything exploded around her._ _

__As her consciousness faded, she finally allowed herself to think of those she was leaving behind. She thought of her family, of her mother and cousins who were also fighting in the war. She thought of Garrus, and of the life they could have had together. She thought of Liara, who hadn’t been right for her, but who was one of the smartest people she knew. She thought of her crew, and found peace in their faces as everything went black._ _


	3. Control

Warren Shepard looked at the options before him.

All three choices would likely lead to his death. That was fine. He’d long since accepted that he might die to defeat the Reapers. As it was, he was already living on borrowed time. 

He could destroy the Reapers. Part of him was screaming at him to do just that. It was what he’d set out to do, after all – destroy the Reapers. But it would sacrifice EDI and the Geth in the process, and kill anyone who was relying on technology to live (himself included, probably).

The synthesis option was intriguing, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t right. To force this change onto every living creature without their permission? Even though it would be an improvement, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. 

Which left controlling the Reapers.

He started walking. 

Once he swallowed his pride and got the bitter taste of the Illusive Man being right out of his mouth, he had to admit that the idea had merit. He’d dismissed the idea when the Illusive Man had presented it, but mostly because he hadn’t thought it would be possible. But now that he knew it was?

He turned to the left, towards the blue light.

He’d lost so many allies, throughout the years. His squad on Akuze. Ashley. XO Pressley, and the others who fell on the first Normandy. Jacob, Samara, Zaeed, Kelly, and too many of the Cerberus crew against the Collectors. Mordin, Thane, Legion. 

Anderson.

There’d been enough death, enough destruction. If he could end this war without causing more death, besides his own...If he could use the Reapers to protect those who were left...

He reached the device, staring at the hand holds and hesitating, still. There’d be no turning back once he activated the Crucible. He had to be sure.

He thought of Kaidan, and a sob escaped him. They’d said their goodbyes. They’d spent one last night together, before storming the Illusive Man’s base. And yet, it wasn’t enough. They’d only been together for a few short weeks.

He’d fallen for Kaidan on the first Normandy. If he’d only acted then... 

But it was too late to regret that, now. No matter which option he chose, he was dead. No matter which option he chose, he’d be leaving Kaidan alone.

Alone up here, with only the Catalyst as a witness, he let himself mourn for the future they would never have together.

And then he grabbed the hand holds.

Pain wracked through his body immediately, as if he’d grabbed a live wire. He’d thought he’d gone numb, but the Crucible woke up every single nerve, lighting them on fire.

He grit his teeth, just barely holding back a scream. He was no stranger to pain, but he’d never felt anything like this.

He faltered for a moment, one hand slipping off the handle. It was too much, too painful, and oh God, what if he’d made the wrong choice?

He brought up the faces of those he’d lost in his mind’s eye again, in a desperate attempt to remind himself of why he’d chosen this path.

Slowly, he brought his hand back up to grab hold once again.

He couldn’t make himself watch as his body burned. He shut his eyes tight, and continued to focus on those he lost. And on those who were left.

He thought of his friends and family. Of his mother, sister, and cousin, who were all fighting in this war. Of Tali, who’d become his best friend on this journey. 

Of Kaidan.

As his body died, Kaidan’s face was the last he saw.

Then Warren Shepard the man was dead, and Warren Shepard the Controller was born.


End file.
